Geek out

Rachel Sterne, the newly appointed chief digital officer for NYC, released her first report on the city's digital roadmap, and goals she'll be implementing over the course of the year that will provide connectivity for its citizens. While I haven't finished reading the entire 60-page document yet, I am pretty impressed with all the digital tools the city already enjoys. Below are just a few I've already found published in the report:

• More free WiFi in public places, including parks.
• An official @nycgov Twitter account, updating followers on city happenings, news, and alerts.
• Online bill payments for city dues like water, parking tickets, and property taxes.
• 311 service requests, which allow users to report incidents, sanitation issues, taxi or noise complaints, and a number of other issues via a mobile app or website.
• Condom finder iPhone app.
• School-based iZone tools that allow teachers to track progress of their students in real-time, and customize learning plans to individual student needs.

Does your city offer any of these digital perks? What kind of digital progression woud you like to see in your own town?

With the love of the Infuse 4G still swirling in my head, I struck up an IM conversation with a friend of mine about the Android operating system yesterday. I didn't know exactly what I was getting into when I asked, but my friend brought up some really good points about Android that even I didn't consider.

Recently there was a debate as to why more women aren't using Android devices. Some say there's no "emotional attachment" between the female geek population and Android like there is on Apple, but these points my friend and I discussed could be more reason why women (or a large population as a whole) don't "get" Android: it's totally confusing! I've compressed our conversation into three points below. Read through, and tell me what you think in the comments.

It's Insanely Fragmented
Right now, you can find four different versions of Android floating around on several different devices. There's no regulation given that the hardware and software are from different origins. Android 2.2 is on most phones, while only the newer phones can support 2.3. Obviously, 3.0 is for tablets.

Read the rest of our discussion after the break.

I got two deliveries this morning: the Samsung Infuse 4G and the HP Veer 4G. Both phones are due to hit AT&T on May 15, and have quite the size difference between them. Initially, I thought the HP Veer would be my favorite of the two (since it's so adorably small), but after a quick tour around both devices, I'm kind of digging the Infuse's large 4.5-inch screen. It's almost like I'm holding a mini tablet that could still fit in my bag. Plus, it's so slim!

How do you feel about smartphone size? Does function trump form, or is it a special mix that attracts you to a new device? Talk it out in the comments!

Recently two jet-setting friends were locked out of their Facebook accounts after trying to access them on their iPhones in a location far from home. The reason? Facebook determined they were accessing the account from an "unusual location," and for safety reasons locked them out of the account completely. Luckily neither was having a Facebook emergency where they needed to urgently access their pages (hmm . . . I wonder if such a situation exists) and just waited until they were home to update Facebook.

I've never experienced this, so I'm not sure how common it is or if it's just some sort of fixable Facebook bug. Has this ever happened to you?

Your iPhone is loaded with geo-location apps like Foursquare and Gowalla, and you even use Facebook Places. All that is fine and dandy, but wouldn't it be nice if you found an app that compiles all of your (and your friends') social check-ins on one singular map? Enter MeMap (free), which does just that.

Using your shared check-ins, MeMap shows you which of your friends are around you now. One of the benefits? You know that you and your friend Sara are in the same neighborhood, but with MeMap, you can see that she's actually just a block away so you can pop in and say hello. Best part, you can customize privacy to show or not show your check-ins, so you always have control over who sees your location and when. MeMap works with Facebook Connect, so any location check-in used on Facebook Places or third-party apps linked to Facebook can be recorded.

What do you think — would you use MeMap?

You've shared email management tips before, but I think I need a bit of an intervention. My Gmail inbox is currently a mess of nearly 30,000 message, 12,129 of which are unread. While I do diligently file away important messages and those I want to save, I do rely a little too heavily on Gmail's search function (especially now that I know you can create customized searches).

My work email is filtered, color coded, labeled, filed, and under control, but my personal inbox is a disaster. Can you help? Please share your best email management tips in the comments below!

A New York Times trend piece over the weekend detailed something you probably already know: voice cell phone usage is on the decline, and data use (especially text messaging) is on the rise. While the article points out that teens have stopped calling each other altogether in favor of texting, many adults have given up on the phone call too, even in the workplace.

In fact, the author even goes so far as to call a phone call rude, intrusive, and awkward. And while that seemed ridiculous at first read, after thinking about it, an unsolicited phone call from someone who isn't my mother, sister, or good friend can often seem awkward and ill-timed. In fact, I'm more likely to pop the call to voicemail and then follow up with an email or text if the caller leaves a message.

Gone are the days where we'd trip over each other trying to be the first to answer a phone call (my sister and I were vicious!). Now, when our land line rings at home, my roommate and I sort of stare at each other, and usually say something like, "Did you give anyone this number?"
While traditional telephone service is nearly a relic of the past, services like Google Voice and even FaceTime have helped voice service evolve to meet the demands of a more connected audience, it rarely seems to be the best option for contacting someone. Do you feel similarly, or are you still a fan of the phone call?

After spotting these Angry Birds Cake Pops being sold by an Etsy seller, I was slightly suspicious. Cake pops are fine (and delicious!), but I don't think I'd purchase some from an unknown, small online vendor.

While I love the idea of cake pops, I'd feel better knowing exactly where they came from and who made them before I indulge. But when it comes to online shopping, I think I'd buy just about anything else. I've even shopped for groceries online in the past, but they came from FreshDirect, a trusted source.

Is there anything that you won't buy online?

There's a whole new crop of location apps appearing on the mobile scene that allow users to preemptively check in to a venue they'd like to visit in the near future — a restaurant, for example — inviting a friend who may want to do something similar to join. Instead of telling friends and contacts what you're doing, it broadcasts what you plan or want to do.

One such app, called Ditto, combines a user's wants (ex: "I want to eat oysters.") with recommendations from friends (ex: "Go to Hog Island Oyster Company in the Ferry Building in San Francisco."). Users can also elect to accept recommendations from other people who may not be a part of your friend circle.

It's a natural extension of apps like Foursquare and Gowalla, in that it allows you to join forces with friends if you don't feel like visiting a certain place on your own. But to me, this just seems like one more app to check if you're looking for something to do. Not to mention I usually have reasonable success recruiting friends to join me via Twitter postings.

Would you use an app like this?